A Guide to Sydney Northern Beaches Rockpools

Starting from the south and the closest from the CBD, Fairlight Beach is located in the North Harbour. Because the beach is facing the harbour rather than the ocean, the water is usually calm and is suitable for swimming (but it can sometimes suffer from pollution especially after heavy rain). There are lots of seaweed and fishes and is good for snorkelling too.

As for the rockpool, it is rather shallow and short and not really good for lap swimming. It has a natural floor with seaweeds and occasionally you can find a fish or two trapped inside the pool. There is a smaller and shallower pool next to it for kids and babies.

To get there, you can either take an easy 15-minute stroll or catch bus 162 from Manly Wharf. If you drive, there are free 2-hour street side parking nearby, but these are filled up quickly on a sunny summer day.

My rating: ★★★

En route from Manly Beach to Shelly Beach, you will find the Fairy Bower Rockpool. It is a small triangular pool popular with kids and not really suitable for any serious swimming. Instead, most people sunbathe on the rocks next to the pool and go snorkelling in the Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve outside, where you can find many fish such as the blue groper.

To get there, go to the southern end of Manly Beach and walk along the Marine Parade for 5 minutes and you will see it on the left.

My rating: ★★

Located at the northern end of Manly Beach beyond the Manly Creek, Queenscliff Rockpool is a 50-metre pool. It is rather narrow with only 6 swim lanes. To reach there from The Corso in Manly, it is a leisurely 20-minute walk along Manly Beach. Otherwise you can take bus 166 or 167 from Manly Wharf.

When I visited there in an afternoon, it was shaded by the cliff to its north and the water was a bit greenish, so I did not swim there. It is probably better to visit in the morning instead.

Walking past the pool and up the stairs you will find the Manly Wormhole, which is a natural tunnel to the other side of the cliff. If you are adventurous enough, you can climb the rocks to reach Freshwater Beach to its north.

My rating: ★★

On the northern end of Freshwater Beach, you will find the 50-metre 8-lane Freshwater Rockpool. It has a spectacular view overlooking Freshwater, Queenscliff and Manly. This is one of my favourite rockpools in the Northern Beaches, as it is the best for lap swimming. The only drawback is that the toilet is old and small.

Note that on every Sunday afternoon during the summer months, the pool is booked by the Northern Beaches Swim Club, so it is best to avoid that time.

To get there, catch bus 167 from Manly Wharf or walk from Freshwater Beach. If you drive, there is a pay carpark up on the top (A$10/hr, A$40/day), or you can probably find 4-hour free parking on the nearby streets.

My rating: ★★★★★

An easy 15-minute stroll from the Freshwater Rockpool along the Curl Curl Boardwalk you will reach the South Curl Curl Rockpool. The view is magnificent, and if you are lucky, you may spot the migrating whales in the ocean.

The pool has a kid playing area plus 50-metre swim lanes. However the bottom of the pool is a natural seabed and there is no lane marking. Many people (including myself) find it difficult to swim in a straight line, i.e. if you are not careful you may bump into someone while swimming.

Getting there is similar to the above (bus 167, pay parking or free street parking if you are lucky).

My rating: ★★★

If you prefer a more natural rockpool, this is the best in the Northern Beaches. The North Curl Curl Rockpool is located on the far end of the beach. You need to either climb the rocks from the beach, which can be inaccessible during high tide, or walk up the hill then down the stairs. It is as rustic as it gets, with natural seafloor and plenty of fish, shellfish and jellyfish inside the pool. The near end is a shallow kid playing area, while at the far side you can do 25-metre laps.

To get there, catch bus 166 from Manly Wharf and then walk 10 minutes via the carpark. If you drive and looking for free parking, try the residential area to the north. You can walk past the infamous Don't Jump Rock too.

My rating: ★★★★

Dee Why Rockpool is actually not that bad, but it can suffer from overcrowding as there are many people living in the suburb, especially in the new high-rise apartment buildings nearby. It has a kid's pool and a proper 50-metre lap pool. If you are lucky enough to have a swim lane by yourself, you can definitely enjoy a great swim in the beautiful surrounding. It also has a proper change room and shower facility.

To get there, catch the double decker B1 Beachlink express bus from the city and get off at Dee Why, then walk 15 to 20 minutes to reach the pool. If you drive, you can try your luck and look for free street parking nearby (or pay for parking).

My rating: ★★★★

Collaroy Rockpool is located on the southern end of the Collaroy Beach. It is an irregular shaped pool but it does have 8 marked swim lanes. However, on the day I went, people did not swim in lanes and were playing everywhere, and I almost bumped into few people.

To get there, catch the B1 bus and get off at Collaroy. It is then a 5-minute walk to the pool which is literally across the road. There should be free street side parking nearby too.

My rating: ★★★

North Narrabeen Rockpool is located on the mouth of the Narrabeen Lagoon, which is popular with family and children. It has a large shallow kid's playing area plus a proper lap swimming enclosure. It is next to the Narrabeen Headland and you can walk across the rocks to the beautiful Turimetta Beach during low tide.

Unfortunately when I was there, the water was a bit polluted and I did not enjoy it very much. The good thing is that there is a proper shower and change room facility which is one of the best in the Northern Beaches.

To get there, catch the B1 bus and get off at Warriewood and it is a 15 to 20-minute walk to the pool. Otherwise there is a pay carpark next to it, or you can try your luck to find free parking nearby.

My rating: ★★★

Mona Vale Rockpool looks stunning on some photos. However, in reality it is a rather small pool with only 30 metres long. I went there on a sunny weekend and it was packed with kids playing, and the water was quite dirty, so I did not stay for long. The reef next to the pool is covered with green moss and looks beautiful though.

To get there, catch the B1 bus all the way to the Mona Vale terminal and then walk for 15 minutes. Again there is pay parking or you may be able to find free street parking nearby.

My rating: ★

Going further north, we are now in the peninsula and the first beach/rockpool is Newport. It is a rustic pool with a natural seafloor bottom. You can find seashells and other sea life in the pool. When I was there, there was a lot of sand accumulated at the bottom of the pool so it became quite shallow and hard to swim. The beach itself is expansive and with few people.

To reach there, change to bus 199 after getting off B1 at Mona Vale. It is then a 5-minute walk to the beach but another 10-minute walk on hot sand to reach the pool at the southern end. If you drive, there should be plenty of free street parking nearby.

My rating: ★★★

Blink and you will miss it, Bilgola Beach is a small and exclusive suburb with only one street in and out. The rockpool is 50 metres long and it looks very nice under the cliff, but I have not swum in it. I only took photos from the beach and the clifftop lookout.

To get there, keep riding bus 199 and get off at Bilgola. Walk carefully as there is no footpath on the narrow busy road. Cross the road and walk down the stairs and you will reach the beach and the pool in 10 minutes. Otherwise, there is no free parking in Bilgola unless you are prepared to park far away and walk a fair bit.

My rating: ★★★★

Avalon Beach is a posh town centre with boutique shops and trendy cafes. I only had a brief look at the beach and the rockpool from afar, so I cannot comment on how good or bad it is. It does not look very big though.

To get there, again bus 199 is your friend. Otherwise there are plenty of free parking spots nearby.

This is the only beach in this blog that I have never been to. The rockpool is only 25 metres long and it is too far to go there just for the pool. If I get a chance to visit in future, I will come back and update this blog.

Finally, at the northern end of the peninsula is the famous Palm Beach, one of the most wealthy and expensive suburbs in Sydney and the whole of Australia. Most people visit there to climb up the hill to the Barrenjoey Lighthouse on the northern tip. The rockpool is at the southern end of the beach and is not bad either, just a little bit small but totally swimmable. Due to its popularity, there is no free parking nearby.

Palm Beach is far away. It is over 30 km from Sydney CBD as crow flies, or more than 45 km by road (over an hour drive without traffic, or almost 2 hours by bus). For most locals living in the suburbs in the rest of Sydney, it is an excursion but well worth the visit.

My rating: ★★★